scholarly journals Variation in the methods leads to variation in the interpretation of biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Jing ◽  
Case M Prager ◽  
Aimée T Classen ◽  
Fernando T Maestre ◽  
Jin-Sheng He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Standardization Method ◽  
Alpine Grasslands ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Single Function ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Ecosystem Multifunctionality ◽  
Standardization Methods

Abstract Aims Biodiversity is often positively related to the capacity of an ecosystem to provide multiple functions simultaneously (i.e. multifunctionality). However, there is some controversy over whether biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships depend on the number of functions considered. Particularly, investigators have documented contrasting findings that the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality do not change or increase with the number of ecosystem functions. Here, we provide some clarity on this issue by examining the statistical underpinnings of different multifunctionality metrics. Methods We used simulations and data from a variety of empirical studies conducted across spatial scales (from local to global) and biomes (temperate and alpine grasslands, forests and drylands). We revisited three methods to quantify multifunctionality including the averaging approach, summing approach and threshold-based approach. Important Findings Biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships either did not change or increased as more functions were considered. These results were best explained by the statistical underpinnings of the averaging and summing multifunctionality metrics. Specifically, by averaging the individual ecosystem functions, the biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships equal the population mean of biodiversity-single function relationships, and thus will not change with the number of functions. Likewise, by summing the individual ecosystem functions, the strength of biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships increases as the number of functions increased. We proposed a scaling standardization method by converting the averaging or summing metrics into a scaling metric, which would make comparisons among different biodiversity studies. In addition, we showed that the range-relevant standardization can be applied to the threshold-based approach by solving for the mathematical artefact of the approach (i.e. the effects of biodiversity may artificially increase with the number of functions considered). Our study highlights different approaches yield different results and that it is essential to develop an understanding of the statistical underpinnings of different approaches. The standardization methods provide a prospective way of comparing biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships across studies.

Ecosystem Multifunctionality

Ecology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. Manning
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Highly Active ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Topic Interest ◽  
Range Of Functions ◽  
Ecosystem Multifunctionality

Ecosystem multifunctionality can be defined as the ability of an ecosystem to provide multiple functions and services. While this definition appears intuitively simple, ecosystem multifunctionality can be difficult to define and measure in practice. While multifunctionality measures allow the overall performance of an ecosystem to be reduced to simple metrics, the overall merit and relevance of simplifying the wide range of functions provided by an ecosystem in this way has been debated. To date, the majority of work that explicitly refers to ecosystem multifunctionality has been from the field of ecology known as biodiversity and ecosystem function research. This has shown that the effects of biodiversity on the functioning of ecosystems are stronger for multiple functions than for single functions due to the fact that different species control different functions. Most of this work has focused on the plot scale (less than 1 hectare), but an earlier emerging and still highly active body of literature refers to the creation and maintenance of multifunctional landscapes. This work, which is typically conducted within the disciplines of ecosystem services, agronomy, and land management, focuses on the delivery of multiple ecosystem services at larger spatial scales. Ecosystem multifunctionality is a relatively new concept, therefore, the literature presented here is primarily drawn from the most-influential papers within the field, along with early-21st-century papers that have broken new ground within the topic. Interest in multifunctionality has sharply increased in the early 21st century (particularly since 2007), in part due to an increase in large collaborative research projects that make its quantification possible. Ecosystem multifunctionality is a very active and rapidly advancing area in ecological research. It is therefore recommended that papers citing those presented here are also investigated.

Humans and the Environment

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Environmental Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Way

The environment has always been a central concept for archaeologists and, although it has been conceived in many ways, its role in archaeological explanation has fluctuated from a mere backdrop to human action, to a primary factor in the understanding of society and social change. Archaeology also has a unique position as its base of interest places it temporally between geological and ethnographic timescales, spatially between global and local dimensions, and epistemologically between empirical studies of environmental change and more heuristic studies of cultural practice. Drawing on data from across the globe at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, this volume resituates the way in which archaeologists use and apply the concept of the environment. Each chapter critically explores the potential for archaeological data and practice to contribute to modern environmental issues, including problems of climate change and environmental degradation. Overall the volume covers four basic themes: archaeological approaches to the way in which both scientists and locals conceive of the relationship between humans and their environment, applied environmental archaeology, the archaeology of disaster, and new interdisciplinary directions.The volume will be of interest to students and established archaeologists, as well as practitioners from a range of applied disciplines.

scholarly journals Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Di Iorio ◽  
Manon Audax ◽  
Julie Deter ◽  
Florian Holon ◽  
Julie Lossent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

scholarly journals Transnational sustainability certification for the bioeconomy? Patterns and discourse coalitions of resistance and alternatives in biomass exporting regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vogelpohl
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sustainability Standards ◽  
Discourse Coalitions

AbstractThe bioeconomy is nowadays widely proclaimed by governments and corporations around the world as a new paradigm for a sustainable economy. Essentially, it broadly denotes the promotion, development and establishment of the use of biogenic resources in diverse kinds of industrial technologies, production processes and products. Yet, in order for the bioeconomy to be sustainable, it has to be assured that these biogenic resources are sourced sustainably. In the last 30 years, transnational sustainability certification (TSC) has established itself as a popular instrument in this context, for example in the case of European biofuels sustainability regulation. In the last decade or so, however, TSC initiatives in several biomass production sectors like palm oil, soy, fruits, aquaculture or fisheries—mostly initiated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and corporations from the Global North—are increasingly met with resistance from actors from the resource-producing countries, mostly located in the Global South. Issues brought up in this context concern their lack of legitimacy and respect for national regulatory sovereignty and conflicting priorities in terms of sustainable development. Consequently, governmental and corporate actors from the resource-producing countries have developed sustainability standards that now at least partly compete with TSC. Against this background, this contribution investigates this apparent dilemma of biomass certification by taking stock of existing TSC initiatives and territorial responses to them in several sectors of the bioeconomy in order to discover general patterns and dynamics of transnational biomass sustainability certification. This analysis is based on a review of existing empirical studies on these issues as well as on conceptual literature on discourse coalitions and transnational hybrid governance for the classification of the different aspects and developments in the individual sectors. Results show that TSC is indeed challenged in all sectors around story lines of sovereignty and sustainability, employed by closely associated state and industry actors in the specific context of the prevalent state-industry relations and the practices and institutions of the respective international political economies. Beyond this general pattern, these alternative systems take on different shapes and complex relations between transnational and territorial sustainability governance emerge that are not always antagonistic, but also exist in parallel or even complementarily and involve various hybrid configurations of public and private actors. Overall, this casts some doubt on the potential of TSC as an instrument to safeguard the sustainability of the bioeconomy and shows one of its potential pitfalls, which is reflected upon in the conclusion.

scholarly journals A SIGHT OVER THE HEALTH OF WASTE PICKERS: AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK PROPOSITION

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
LAYSCE ROCHA DE MOURA ◽  
SYLMARA LOPES FRANCELINO GONÇALVES DIAS ◽  
LUCIANO ANTONIO PRATES JUNQUEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Individual Activity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Waste Pickers

Abstract This study aims to identify articles focused on the waste picker’s health to support the construction of an analytical framework that considers the individual and the environment in the scope of their labor activity. For this purpose, it is intended to answer the following question: which aspects can be considered in the analysis of the waste picker’s health in their labor activity? Methodologically, it has an exploratory nature and use the Systematic Review of Literature. The results pointed out to four categories of analysis grouped into the following aspects: meanings, individual, activity and environment. The analytical framework proposed presents contributions for an extended understanding of waste picker’s health, its aspects and interrelationships. Finally, it is suggested that empirical studies could be carried out to validate the proposed structure.

An analysis of supply chain issues relating to information flow during the automotive product development

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1158-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Madenas ◽  
Ashutosh Tiwari ◽  
Christopher Turner ◽  
Sophie Peachey
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Product Development ◽  
Information Flow ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inadequate Information ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Number Of Customers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify measure and prioritise the perceived importance of supply chain issues within the automotive industry related to information flow during product development (PD). Design/methodology/approach – This study analyses empirical data captured from semi-structure interviews with 15 multinational companies operating in the automotive sector. Data collected are analysed using a standard methodology identified from the literature. The individual issues captured are classified against 14 clusters that represent the core and the fundamental supply chain issues of information flow. Findings – This study showed that half of the issues captured are related to the inadequate information systems used. The cluster that had the majority of individual issues is related to suppliers that are not directly connected with their customers through an enterprise system. However it was identified that two fundamental clusters justify the decision of not being directly connected. Implementing and maintaining multiple enterprise systems can be a big overhead for multinational companies working with a high number of customers. Originality/value – Although several studies have proved the benefits that can be obtained through supply chain collaboration, there are relatively little empirical studies that seek to explore the understanding of supply chain issues in regards to information flow especially during PD. By identifying, measuring and prioritising the importance of supply chain issues this study provides researchers and practitioners guidance in developing better tools and defining more efficient processes.

Computerized Image Enhancement for Visually Impaired Persons: New Technology, New Possibilities

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 849-854
Author(s):  
E. Pell ◽  
L. E. Arend ◽  
G. T. Timberlake
Keyword(s):  
Image Enhancement ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Visual Degradation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Made In

Patients with age-related visual loss suffer reduced ability to recognize faces and other scenes in photographs and on television. Recently, progress has been made in image enhancement, using controlled distortion of digitally stored images that increases their usefulness in particular applications. Described are two approaches to image enhancement for the visually impaired. In one approach, the visual losses that characterize individual patients and disease classes are described using detailed measurements of visual degradation transfer functions, which are profiles of loss of image information at various spatial scales. The particular distortion used for image enhancement is then adjusted to the impairment of the individual patient or disease class. A second approach takes advantage of the resemblance between the visual losses of many patients and the degradation of picture information in other applications due to external limitations (e.g., fog and haze) on photography. Several enhancement algorithms have been found useful with such images and may also improve picture recognition by the visually impaired.

scholarly journals Locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem multifunctionality

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1694) ◽  
pp. 20150269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Soliveres ◽  
Peter Manning ◽  
Daniel Prati ◽  
Martin M. Gossner ◽  
Fabian Alt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Ecosystem Multifunctionality

Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). However, the relative functional importance of rare and common species in driving the biodiversity–multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied the relationship between the diversity of rare and common species (according to their local abundances and across nine different trophic groups), and multifunctionality indices derived from 14 ecosystem functions on 150 grasslands across a land-use intensity (LUI) gradient. The diversity of above- and below-ground rare species had opposite effects, with rare above-ground species being associated with high levels of multifunctionality, probably because their effects on different functions did not trade off against each other. Conversely, common species were only related to average, not high, levels of multifunctionality, and their functional effects declined with LUI. Apart from the community-level effects of diversity, we found significant positive associations between the abundance of individual species and multifunctionality in 6% of the species tested. Species-specific functional effects were best predicted by their response to LUI: species that declined in abundance with land use intensification were those associated with higher levels of multifunctionality. Our results highlight the importance of rare species for ecosystem multifunctionality and help guiding future conservation priorities.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Evapotranspiration Components in Remote Sensing-Based Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Talsma ◽  
Stephen Good ◽  
Diego Miralles ◽  
Joshua Fisher ◽  
Brecht Martens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Laboratory Model ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
Added Uncertainty ◽  
Model Components ◽  
The Individual

Accurately estimating evapotranspiration (ET) at large spatial scales is essential to our understanding of land-atmosphere coupling and the surface balance of water and energy. Comparisons between remote sensing-based ET models are difficult due to diversity in model formulation, parametrization and data requirements. The constituent components of ET have been shown to deviate substantially among models as well as between models and field estimates. This study analyses the sensitivity of three global ET remote sensing models in an attempt to isolate the error associated with forcing uncertainty and reveal the underlying variables driving the model components. We examine the transpiration, soil evaporation, interception and total ET estimates of the Penman-Monteith model from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (PM-MOD), the Priestley-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory model (PT-JPL) and the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) at 42 sites where ET components have been measured using field techniques. We analyse the sensitivity of the models based on the uncertainty of the input variables and as a function of the raw value of the variables themselves. We find that, at 10% added uncertainty levels, the total ET estimates from PT-JPL, PM-MOD and GLEAM are most sensitive to Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (%RMSD = 100.0), relative humidity (%RMSD = 122.3) and net radiation (%RMSD = 7.49), respectively. Consistently, systemic bias introduced by forcing uncertainty in the component estimates is mitigated when components are aggregated to a total ET estimate. These results suggest that slight changes to forcing may result in outsized variation in ET partitioning and relatively smaller changes to the total ET estimates. Our results help to explain why model estimates of total ET perform relatively well despite large inter-model divergence in the individual ET component estimates.

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